Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

New form of graphene oxide is fun to play with – and solves manufacturing challenges. A Northwestern University team is reshaping the world of graphene – literally. The team has turned graphene oxide (GO) into a soft, moldable and kneadable play dough that can be shaped and reshaped into free-standing, three-dimensional structures.

Called “GO dough,” the product might be fun to play with it, but it’s more than a toy. The malleable material solves several long-standing – and sometimes explosive – problems in the graphene manufacturing industry.

“Currently graphene oxide is stored as dry solids or powders, which are prone to co...

UMD engineers demonstrate their approach by printing the smallest-known 3D microfluidic circuit element. Engineers at the University of Maryland (UMD) have created the first 3D-printed fluid circuit element so tiny that 10 could rest on the width of a human hair. The diode ensures fluids move in only a single direction – a critical feature for products like implantable devices that release therapies directly into the body.

The...

New technology can clean water twice as fast as commercially available ultrafiltration membranes. Engineers have created a bacteria-filtering membrane using graphene oxide and bacterial nanocellulose. It’s highly efficient, long-lasting and environmentally friendly – and could provide clean water for those in need.

More than 1 in 10 people in the world lack basic drinking water access, and by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas, which is why access to clean water is one of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges. Engineers at Washington University in St...

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have discovered a simple new tweak that could double the efficiency of organic electronics. OLED-displays, plastic-based solar cells and bioelectronics are just some of the technologies that could benefit from their new discovery, which deals with “double-doped” polymers.

The majority of our everyday ele...